One Piece: Holy Light Swordmaster

"Hey! You two!" Wright sighed as he glanced at Smoker, who was endlessly generating smoke, and Rosinante, who was lost in thought while staring at the cigarette between his fingers. Breaking their focus, Wright exclaimed, "Practice is all well and good, but don't you think you're turning my room into an uninhabitable mess?"

The room was now engulfed in various types of smoke—some from Smoker's Devil Fruit abilities and the rest from their cigars and cigarettes.

"If either of you dares to smoke in my room again, I'll kick you out myself! Go back to your own rooms to conduct your experiments!"

...

After successfully evicting the pair—who, despite profusely thanking him, refused to apologize—Wright cast a large-scale purification spell to clear the air and flopped onto his bed. "Ah… let me die here in peace…"

Although he hadn't participated directly in the battle earlier, Wright had stayed on high alert, maintaining his Observation Haki at full capacity to monitor the entire warship. His responsibilities didn't stop there; he also had to assess the intent and emotional fluctuations of particularly extreme pirates to anticipate their attacks and provide timely healing. This task was far more exhausting than simply annihilating an entire pirate crew himself.

"Smoke-Smoke Fruit and Calm-Calm Fruit… I wonder how far those two will develop their abilities. It'll be interesting to see what kinds of changes they bring about," Wright thought to himself groggily before falling asleep.

Three days passed quickly. During this time, the cadets at the training camp had clearly reflected deeply on their previous shortcomings. They gained valuable insights into their own combat weaknesses and began emulating the approaches of Wright and his two fellow Devil Fruit users. Those with similar fighting styles formed discussion groups, sharing experiences and learning from one another to progress together.

Zephyr and Gummir observed these developments with growing satisfaction. Wright, in particular, had proposed a new team-based combat tactic based on their last battle. His idea was to form small squads comprising members with different combat styles and train them to work together. The goal was to determine whether such cooperation could pose a threat to high-level combatants.

Zephyr, surprised by Wright's interest in tactical studies beyond personal combat prowess, decided to test the effectiveness of this new strategy. To do so, he assigned Wright the role of a sparring partner—a living training dummy, as it were.

In this world, the Navy's grasp of "team combat" strategies remained weak. With its philosophy heavily centered on individual strength, soldiers often focused on personal valor. As a result, lower-ranking Navy troops were frequently relegated to cannon fodder roles, incapable of effectively damaging mid- or high-tier enemies.

True "human wave tactics" were fearsome because every soldier contributed to wearing down the target, no matter how small their impact. The cumulative damage would eventually overwhelm the opponent. However, the Navy's so-called human wave tactics often devolved into disorganized "piecemeal attacks." In these cases, stronger opponents could systematically slaughter wave after wave of soldiers, rendering their numbers meaningless.

This flaw stemmed from the emphasis on personal power in this world. Consequently, the Navy prioritized cultivating high-level combatants. Even Zephyr, an experienced "education expert," adhered to this belief, knowing that a single top-tier fighter could turn the tide of battle. Naturally, this left little focus on nurturing lower-tier troops.

The Elite Training Camp's purpose, therefore, wasn't to train rank-and-file soldiers—that was the job of the Navy's standard academies and branch facilities. Instead, the camp existed to produce elite officers and mid-tier leaders for the Navy.

Wright, however, had a different perspective. When he used to read the manga and watch the anime, one of his biggest complaints was the Navy's bafflingly poor tactics. Why did they always attack in small, easily defeated groups instead of overwhelming the enemy with sheer numbers? Were they afraid of dying or just spectators at a show? Why did trained Navy soldiers perform worse than ragtag pirates in battle coordination?

As a mere ensign and trainee, Wright wouldn't normally have the standing to suggest tactical changes to a Grand Admiral like Zephyr. But as Zephyr's true personal disciple, and given Zephyr's open-minded approach to education, Wright's ideas were taken seriously. Once Wright outlined his concept, Zephyr encouraged him to share his thoughts fully.

To validate his strategy, Wright personally participated in the tests. Using a standard-issue longsword instead of his beloved Ashes, he defeated three training squads in succession. After each match, he pointed out their mistakes and emphasized what kind of damage they could have inflicted on him had they avoided those errors.

Zephyr carefully monitored the battles using his Observation Haki and nodded approvingly. "Squad Four, delay your turn by half an hour. Exchange notes with Squads One, Two, and Three before sparring with Instructor Goomir."

Recognizing Wright's expertise as a swordsman, Zephyr decided to have Goomir—a fellow swordsman unfamiliar with such tactics—test them as well. The goal was to see whether five or six officer-level cadets working together could pressure someone of Goomir's rank. Zephyr, well aware of Wright's current strength, knew that Wright had already surpassed Goomir, a Rear Admiral.

Of course, whether Goomir's combat ability truly stopped at Rear Admiral rank—or if he was simply an old trickster avoiding promotions—remained a mystery. Considering Goomir's role as the future G-2 Branch Commander, it was safe to assume his strength was far from ordinary.

Returning to Zephyr's side, Wright had essentially become an honorary assistant instructor—a privilege typically reserved for a Vice Admiral.

"If officer-level squads can use coordinated tactics to pressure a Rear Admiral, they'll undoubtedly gain the ability to defeat most Major and Lieutenant Commanders. They might even hold their own against a Colonel," Zephyr remarked, casting a glance at the squads, who were now deep in discussion. He then turned to Wright. "If this strategy works, you'll have achieved something remarkable!"

"Don't expect me to go easy, Wright." Goomir chuckled. "I'm eager to see this new approach in action."

"You won't be disappointed, Zephyr-sensei," Wright replied confidently. "The same goes for you, Instructor Goomir. When I sparred with them earlier, they had already improved significantly compared to fighting individually. If they follow my suggestions, their combat effectiveness will increase dramatically—though, for fairness, you'll need to refrain from using Haki. At this stage, it would be an overwhelming advantage."

Although Goomir and Zephyr didn't fully understand Wright's reference to "overwhelming advantage," they got the gist. Testing a general-purpose strategy required conditions representative of the average Rear Admiral, not someone with advanced Haki.

"Goomir, don't exceed Rear Admiral-level strength. Pay attention to the finer details of the test."

"Understood, sensei."

... It seemed Goomir really was an old trickster after all.

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